I am writing you from Richmond where the General Assembly is convening for a special session on the single issue of transportation funding. We are all affected by the lack of funding; there has not been successful transportation funding legislation since 1986. In northern Virginia we know the problem is acute, and many of you have written to me to share your views and ideas. Insufficient funding for maintenance is siphoning away money needed statewide for new construction and the improvement of existing highways. Since the Supreme Court invalidated the power of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to raise and collect revenue, the cost to us has been one million dollars a day.

As infuriating and immediate as the effects of congestion are to each of us in northern Virginia, the need for reliable, sufficient transportation funding is also compelling for the economic vitality of the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.

Recently, I worked with the business community to develop a short video presentation that shows how important a healthy system of roads, rail, and transit are, not just to the continued success of two of the powerhouses of Virginia’s economic engine – Dulles Airport and the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, but also to business centers throughout the state.

Transportation funding is an essential component of a system that accounts for hundreds of thousands of jobs all over Virginia. I think we need a solution that benefits both our congested regions and the whole state. I hope you will watch this brief video and share your ideas and feedback with me and other members of the General Assembly as we work to find answers to Virginia’s transportation challenges. Thank you.

A number of upcoming decisions in transportation policy may affect us here in northern Virginia. At the state level, Governor Kaine has called a special session of the General Assembly for June 23^rd to deal with transportation funding shortfalls, some of which resulted from a February 29th Virginia Supreme Court decision that invalidated the 2007 law that raised revenue dedicated to transportation in our region. He has also released his own funding proposals which include a 1% statewide increase in the sales tax on cars (from 3% to 4%) that would raise an additional $400-$500 million annually; the dedication of all revenue from the sales tax on cars to road maintenance; a $10 statewide increase in the annual car registration fee; a 25 cent statewide increase in the grantor’s tax with a substantial portion of it dedicated to transit; and a 1% regional retail sales tax increase (excluding food and medicine) in northern Virginia and Hampton Roads that would replace the dedicated regional funding struck down by the Supreme Court. All the Governor’s proposals will include a lockbox mechanism so that they will be used only for transportation.

On May 7^th the Hampton Roads (Norfolk area) and northern Virginia legislative delegations met to discuss and establish principles to guide our deliberations for the upcoming special session. The delegations agree that there must dedicated and sufficient revenue sources specific to each region.  (Since the Supreme Court’s action that invalidated the funding power of the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, our region has lost about $1 million a day!)  We also agreed on the need for statewide funding for maintenance.

The main points of contention in the upcoming Special Session of the General Assembly are sure to be the sources of revenue and whether the solutions should address statewide shortfalls or just correct legal problems at the regional level so that northern Virginia and Hampton Roads jurisdictions can raise the revenue for their areas. The May 7^th meeting of the joint delegation adopted the principle of including both regional and statewide solutions because we will continue to see our road construction funds siphoned off to pay for maintenance in other parts of the state unless we address the whole problem. Think of trying to fill a bathtub while the drain is open!

Officials of the Virginia Department of Transportation and the design contractor for the Beltway Hot Lanes Project have agreed to measures that address community concerns about a construction staging area being built near the intersection of the Beltway and Route 193 (Georgetown Pike).

At a meeting at the office of Dranesville Supervisor John Foust on June 5, Delegate Margaret Vanderhye, State Senator Janet Howell, and Foust negotiated with officials from VDOT and HOT Lanes contractor Fluor/Transurban over how to improve the appearance of the site and protect the neighborhood and nearby Cooper Middle School from disruption due to activity associated with the staging area.  The contractors and VDOT agreed to several significant concessions requested by Howell, Vanderhye and Foust.

“The purpose of the site will primarily be as a command and control center,” explained Delegate Vanderhye.  “VDOT vehicles will enter and leave the area via the Beltway exit ramp, not through Balls Hill Road.”

The Balls Hill entrance to the site will only be used by a dozen or so managers and clerical staff who will work in trailers on the site, according to Steve Titunik of VDOT.

Foust added, “It is important that the site not be used for storage of large equipment or construction materials.  We continue to seek a commitment that the area will not become a default site for major construction activity.”

Arlington, May 28, 2008 Virginia Governor Tim Kaine traveled to Arlington County this week to sign a half dozen environmental bills passed by the 2008 General Assembly. State Senators and Delegates from all around northern Virginia joined Arlington elementary school students at Bluemont Park to watch the Governor sign the legislation into law.

Governor Kaine signed a bill (HB 1228) sponsored by Delegate Margaret Vanderhye (D, McLean and Great Falls) requiring utility companies to include information about renewable power options on customer bills.

“This was a wonderful accomplishment for a first year legislator,” Kaine said, noting that Delegate Vanderhye worked to enlist the support of the utility companies in enacting the requirement. “Sometimes it it’s not enough just to want to do the right thing,” Kaine told the students. “Delegate Vanderhye’s bill helps consumers to learn how to do the right thing.”

Richmond, April 29, 2008 Governor Tim Kaine today signed into law House Bill 1229, introduced by Delegate Margaret Vanderhye (D, 34^th District), which extends the current Sales Tax Holiday on Energy Star products to include WaterSense labeled products that the Federal EPA has recognized as water efficient. During the Sales Tax Holiday, which takes place during the first weekend of October, consumers do not pay the four and one half percent sales tax on appliances and equipment that meet EPA standards for conservation and efficiency.

“I am pleased that the General Assembly has added WaterSense products to the Sales Tax Holiday,” Delegate Vanderhye commented after a bill signing ceremony in the State Capitol. “By encouraging Virginia consumers to consider conservation and efficiency in their purchasing decisions, we address concerns about climate change and promote energy independence.”